September 2019 | Rolling Stone | 83
RECORD-BREAKING HEAT
Year after year in the 21st century, we’re seeing unprecedented temperatures — with nine of
the 10 hottest years on record happening since 2000. And as the Earth warms from ever-rising
carbon-dioxide levels, the temperatures grow increasingly extreme, with deadly consequences.Churu, India
HIGHEST TEMP 123ºFChuru, a city of more than 100,000 in the desert west of
New Delhi, was the epicenter of a brutal heat wave that
swept through northern India in early June. City officials
had to pour water on roads to prevent them from melting.
People were advised not to go outside after 11 a.m., and
doctors canceled vacations to care for heat-stressed res-
idents. Early estimates put the national death toll above
200 people, but that number is likely to grow.Anchorage, Alaska
HIGHEST TEMP 90ºFOn July 4th, temperatures in Anchorage hit an all-time
high, breaking the previous record by 5°F. The city can-
celed Independence Day fireworks out of fear they could
spark wildfires, which have been raging through the Arctic
on an unprecedented scale this season. Sea-ice cover
in the nearby Bering Sea was the lowest on record, and
recent marine heat waves have contributed to unusually
high mortality rates in whales and other Arctic species.Gallargues-le-Montueux, France
HIGHEST TEMP 114.6ºFJune 28th was the hottest day in French history, with the
town of Gallargues-le-Montueux in southern France clock-
ing the highest temperature. Paris broke its own record in
July, reaching 108.6°F. In 2003, a heat wave killed 15,000
people in France. To avoid repeating that disaster, officials
installed temporary water fountains and portable pools
in Parisian neighborhoods and distributed 5,000 water
bottles to the homeless.San Francisco
HIGHEST TEMP 100ºFSan Francisco is known for cool, breezy summer days.
Not this year. In early June, a heat wave roasted the West
Coast, pushing the temp to 100°F in San Francisco during
the hottest June on record. Commuter train tracks warped
in the heat, and blackouts left thousands of Bay Area res-
idents without power. Temperature records were broken
throughout the state, with Salinas reaching 105°F, and the
town of Thermal, near San Diego, reaching 113°F.Alert, Nunavut, Canada
HIGHEST TEMP 70ºFAlert is the northernmost settlement in the world, about
500 miles from the North Pole, a land of ice and polar
bears and military bases. In mid-July, the temperature hit
a beachy 70°F, the highest ever recorded there; it usually
averages about 44°F in July. “It’s really quite spectacular —
this is unprecedented,” said David Phillips, chief climatolo-
gist for Environment Canada, who added, “Our models for
the rest of the summer are saying, ‘Get used to it.’ ”In 2018, APS cut off power to customers
more than 110,000 times. Of those, more than
39,000 were during the blistering months of May
through September.
Pullman’s death sparked wide media cover-
age and street protests over APS’s disconnect
policy, and pushed Arizona regulators to ban
power shut-offs on hot summer days. (APS shut-
offs have been linked to at least two other heat-
related deaths in recent years.) These deaths also
raise larger questions about the future of cities
like Phoenix. As temperatures soar in the com-
ing years, the real question is not whether su-
perheated cities are sustainable. With enough
money and engineering skill, you can sustain
life on Mars. The issue is, sustainable for whom?H
EAT IS NOT AN EQUAL-oppor-
tunity killer. If you’re poor,
sick, old, or homeless, you’re
more likely to die during a heat
wave. Recent immigrants, both
legal and undocumented, are
particularly at risk. A 2017 study published in
the American Journal of Public Health found that
immigrants are three times more likely than citi-
zens to die from heat-related illnesses. More than
85 percent of non-U.S. citizens who died from
heat-related causes were Hispanic. Researchers
hypothesized that working outdoors and in agri-
culture increased vulnerability.
In Arizona, the most visible victims of heat
are the homeless. One afternoon, I drive around
Glendale, a town just outside Phoenix, with
Brian Farretta and Rich Heitz of the Phoenix
Rescue Mission, a faith-based group dedicated
to getting people off the streets. Recently, the
group launched “Code: Red,” an initiative to pass
out water and other essentials to people on the
street during heat waves. “Our strategy is sim-
ple,” Heitz says. “We find people and give them
water.”
Heitz, 48, has lived in Arizona most of his
adult life. He is a gentle man with a goatee and
a Harley-Davidson cap. Before joining the Phoe-
nix Rescue Mission, Heitz spent 10 years on the
streets of Phoenix as a heroin addict. “I lost my-
self in numbness,” he says. He spent a few years
in jail for various charges and has now gone
clean and is devoting his life to helping others
do the same.
We pull into Sands Park, a typical suburban
green swath with basketball courts and picnic
areas. Heitz and Farretta head to a concrete bath-
room, where they find a middle-aged woman sit-
ting in the shade on the floor near the entrance.
She has brown, sunburned skin, long gray
hair, and a pleasant smile. She’s dressed in dirty
jeans and a T-shirt. Beside her is what looks like
a children’s coloring book. On the cover, written
in red crayon, are the words “It’s Raining Love.”
“How are you doing, Sherri?” Heitz asks her.
“You doing OK in the heat?”
I notice her face is flushed, and there are rings
of sweat under her arms.
FR “Yeah, I’m keeping cool.” [Cont. on 96]
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